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Board approves moving Brews on the Bay to Rainbow Memorial Park for the season
Summary
Advisory Park Board recommended the Common Council approve holding seven Brews on the Bay events at Rainbow Memorial Park this summer and supported staff request for council approval to allow park staff to sell fermented malt beverages at the site; the motion carried on a roll-call vote.
The Oshkosh Advisory Park Board voted to recommend that the Common Council allow the Parks Department to host the Brews on the Bay beer garden series at Rainbow Memorial Park for the coming season and to permit park staff to sell fermented malt beverages there for the events.
Parks staff said the move is temporary because ongoing Pratt Trail work and Menominee Park construction limit use of the traditional Menominee site this year. Staff and event organizers proposed seven Wednesday evening events running from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. through the summer, to be sited on the former ice-skating rink and oriented to minimize noise impacts toward residences.
Jenny and Chad, Parks staff members working on the event logistics, described plans for a serving area, food‑vendor court and band placement near the river. Chad noted accessible restrooms at the Lakeshore Pavilion and said staff would bring additional portable toilets and monitor parking and boat-launch stalls. Staff said they would avoid scheduling athletic games on adjacent diamonds on event nights.
Staff also requested Common Council approval for the department to sell fermented malt beverages at Rainbow Memorial Park for this program; staff cited state statutes that allow a municipality to authorize such sales when the governing body approves the location. Board members asked about parking; staff said Rainbow Park has roughly 82 stalls in the immediate lot and additional street parking nearby, and noted attendance for past Rivers on the Bay events has typically been in the hundreds and on strong nights substantially higher.
A motion to recommend the event move and the fermented malt beverage authorization was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote. Staff said the recommendation will be forwarded to the Common Council for final approval and that organizers plan to return Brews on the Bay to Menominee Park once construction and concession schedules allow.
